The Windows Phone 8S has a more interesting design than the 8X, with a two-tone colour scheme that makes the phone look like it’s been dipped in a tin of paint. As the 8X took inspiration from the One X, the 8S is going for that One S feel – a thinner, more fashionable phone that has less horsepower, but also a lower price point.
Here we see specifications quite close to Windows Phone 7 devices, including a 4″ WVGA display (at 800 x 480), 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of storage. However, the processor is noticeably faster (a Snapdragon S4 dual-core running at 1 GHz) and the device sports micro-SD storage, hidden underneath the coloured bottom of the device. With a 32 GB micro SD card present, it’d have double the storage of the flagship 8X.
Beats audio integration is still present, but the 8S lacks the extra headphone amplifier of the 8X and instead has to do it with software alone. The camera has also been toned down, with a 5 megapixel shooter on the rear and no front-facing camera.
All in all, it’s an impressive package that is a great replacement for the HTC Radar and a good competitor to Nokia’s Lumia 820 handset. Windows Phone is the one environment where extra processing power isn’t crucial, so I think the 8S offers really good value.
The sim-free HTC 8S will be available from the end of November at Mobile Fun, and we’ve already begun stocking some HTC 8S accessories as well.
What do you think of the phone? Let us know in the comments below!